Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust
by HopeAndFaithAndCharity
Summary: Lily Evans knew there was evil in the world. She knew of Death Eaters. But she never thought she would be face to face with one… until the winter of her seventh year.


It was during the Christmas holidays of my seventh year when I got my first taste of what Death Eaters were truly like. I mean, Severus told me he was going to join when he was old enough, before he called me a mudblood. But I knew he really didn't have what it took to be a Death Eater, if he wanted to be one.

I'd given him more than enough chances. It started when he insulted me when we first met at the playground, and then again when I knew he made that branch fall on Petunia. When he called me that unforgivable name, I'd given him his last chance. He blew it.

"Lily!" my mum called. "Can you come and help me with dinner, please?"

"Sure, Mum," I replied. I shut the book that I was using to write my Charms essay for Professor Flitwick and headed down the stairs to the kitchen. Mum was starting to get the ingredients for making dinner. She had already laid out some pork chops, pasta, tomatoes, Cream of Golden Mushroom soup, and some relish. I knew immediately what she was making.

We set to making the meal, Mum frying the chops and me keeping an eye on the noodles.

"Did you hear something?" Mum asks, turning the heat on the stove down to listen.

"I'll look," I say. I walk to the living room to see out the front door. It's pitch black out, and I can't see anything.

Then I hear a scream. "Mum!" I yell. I run back through the house to the kitchen. I see Petunia about halfway down the stairs coming to investigate.

"I've got it," I say.

"I'm coming with you," she says. "If Mum's hurt, she needs us both."

We hurry to the kitchen to see a woman wearing black robes, with dark hair and heavily lidded eyebrows holding Mum by her neck, wand pointed at her head. I recognized her from the posters of wanted Death Eaters. Bellatrix Lestrange, one of the most dangerous and most wanted.

"What do you want, Lestrange?" I ask.

She grins a sadistic smile, and I feel Petunia shudder. "I'm only going to kill you and you're entire pathetic little family."

With that, she says the fatal words. "_Avada Kedavra_!" She lets go of Mum, and she falls to the floor, dead. Everyone knows that spell is the worst and most punishable. She's already going to Azkaban for who knows how long, and she just got herself a lifetime sentence.

"Now for you and your sister," she says.

"Petunia, run," I say, grabbing her hand. We race outside and into the forest nearby. I can hear Bellatrix cackling as she chases us.

"Who is she?" Bellatrix pants.

"Bellatrix Lestrange," I answer. "Really bad news. She's a Death Eater. Remember I told you about them before?"

She nods. "Why does she want _us?" _she asks.

"Because of my blood status," I answer, stopping. "I'm muggle-born, and they hate anything to do with Muggles, so by extension they hate me, and you they would hate anyhow because you're a Muggle."

"So she basically wants to kill us because of prejudices?"

"Yep," I answer. "And one of my old friends is probably a Death Eater now and told them about me."

"Who, Severus?" Petunia wonders. I nod.

"Stay behind me," I say. I point my wand at her. "Don't worry, this will protect you. _Protego!"_

I place the charm on her and then turn to face Bellatrix, who has caught up with us.

"Given up, _mudblood?" _she taunts.

"Not even close," I say, training my wand at her. She cackles and then the battle begins.

"_Crucio_," she says. The jet of grayish blue light soars towards me, and I barely manage to dodge it.

"_Incarcerous,_" I shout. She blocks the spell with a flick of her wand. "_Stupefy_!"

The Stunner hits her, sending her flying into a tree behind her. She lies on the ground, unconscious.

I walk over to Petunia, who is frozen in fear. "Do you trust me?" I ask her.

"What?" she asks.

"Do you trust me?"

Hesitantly, she replies, "Yes."

"Then take my arm," I say. "We're going to Apparate to James' place."

Petunia grabs my arm and we Apparate away.

Word Count. 713 words


End file.
